Soft-Shell Crab Ginger Soy

Name: Soft-Shell Crab Ginger Soy
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Crabs — 4 Soft Shell Crabs Cleaned; Crabs — 1 cup All-Purpose Flour; Crabs — 1 tsp Kosher Salt; Crabs — ½ tsp Coarse Ground Black Pepper; Crabs — ½ tsp Garlic Powder; Crabs — ¼ tsp Onion Powder; Crabs — ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil Plus 1 Tbsp for Sauce; Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — 2 Tbsp Salted Butter; Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — 1 Tbsp Fresh Ginger Finely Minced or Grated; Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — 3 Garlic Cloves Finely Minced; Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — 1 Small Shallot Finely Minced; Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — ¼ cup Sake; Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — ⅓ cup Vegetable Stock; Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — 1½ Tbsp Mirin; Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — 1½ Tbsp Soy Sauce; Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — 3 Tbsp Cold Salted Butter Cubed; Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — 1 tsp Sesame Oil; Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — ¼ cup Scallions Thinly Sliced; Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — 1½ tsp Sesame Seeds

Pan-fried soft-shell crab with ginger soy butter sauce.

Ingredients

Crabs — 4 Soft Shell Crabs Cleaned
Crabs — 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
Crabs — 1 tsp Kosher Salt
Crabs — ½ tsp Coarse Ground Black Pepper
Crabs — ½ tsp Garlic Powder
Crabs — ¼ tsp Onion Powder
Crabs — ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil Plus 1 Tbsp for Sauce
Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — 2 Tbsp Salted Butter
Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — 1 Tbsp Fresh Ginger Finely Minced or Grated
Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — 3 Garlic Cloves Finely Minced
Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — 1 Small Shallot Finely Minced
Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — ¼ cup Sake
Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — ⅓ cup Vegetable Stock
Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — 1½ Tbsp Mirin
Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — 1½ Tbsp Soy Sauce
Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — 3 Tbsp Cold Salted Butter Cubed
Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — 1 tsp Sesame Oil
Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — ¼ cup Scallions Thinly Sliced
Ginger Soy Butter Sauce — 1½ tsp Sesame Seeds

Method

CLEAN THE CRABS: Flip the crab over and remove the apron. Lift each side of the top shell and pull out the gills. Cut off the front face (eyes and mouth). Snip off pointy tips on the sides of the top shell. Rinse quickly and pat completely dry.
SEASON AND DREDGE: In a shallow bowl, mix flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Lightly dredge each crab and shake off excess.
PAN FRY IN OLIVE OIL: Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Place crabs top-side down and cook for 2–3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2–3 minutes until golden and crisp. Crab should be 145 F in the center. Remove and set aside.
MAKE THE SAUCE: Wipe out excess oil from the pan and return to medium heat. Add 2 Tbsp butter and a Tbsp olive oil. When butter melts, add ginger, garlic, and shallots. Cook for 1–2 minutes until softened and fragrant. Deglaze with sake and reduce by about half. Add vegetable stock, mirin, and soy sauce. Simmer for 2–3 minutes until slightly reduced. Remove the pan from the heat and swirl in the cold butter a few cubes at a time until glossy and emulsified. Add the sesame oil and scallions. Spoon sauce over the crabs. Finish with sesame seeds.